New User: "Cut board to size" Question.

[bquicksilver]

Hi all, I'm a new user tackling the learning curve and have a few questions:

Project is a sawblade sign from the free pattern set. Actual board is 17.5" x 10.5" for 10 x 10" project in designer. The project has an edge rout on it.

It carved the design well, but did not address the edge rout until the end and dove the bit WAY too deep to the point the garage was filled with smoke. How do I get it to only take lighter passes?

It asked for a 1/2" roundover bit first and I selected 1/16" bit. It then asked for bit again at which point I selected the 1/16" once again. What happened there?

[fwharris]

When you select the "edge route" tool in the bit selection box at the bottom of the box is "max pass". check the box and input the depth that you want the machine to use for making multiple passed to get to your final depth. Example if you want to go 1/2" deep on the round over set the max pass to 1/4" and it will make two passes. The edge route function will be either the last or next to last thing done by the machine depending on if you have applied a cut out or selected the cut board to size. Note, if you have a table saw, router or router table these functions are best done with these tools.

Making a guess here on your "It asked for a 1/2" roundover bit first and I selected 1/16" bit. It then asked for bit again at which point I selected the 1/16" once again. What happened there? "

If this at the start up at the machine before the carving starts, it is going through the process of measuring the bits you have selected for your project. It will ask for the last bit to be used and work it's way up to the first bit. You are suppose to install each bit being asked for (do not change the selection at the machine) so the machine can measure the bit and store that info.

[Digitalwoodshop]

WELCOME New User !!!!

Many of us find Edge Routing to be a Challenging feature of the machine since the board is only being held by ONE Roller and in the process of Edge Routing the board can SLIP and loose contact with the Brass Roller. This would result in the machine pushing the board until the brass position roller in the X Axis until the Brass Roller was Happy... IN YOUR CASE doing a Edge Rout, I am guessing the board was DRIVEN in the X or Board Length Direction INTO a VERY BIG EDGE BIT.... NOT a good thing....

So back to Edge Routing... I like MANY others DO NOT DO Edge Rout on the CW.... For the reason posted above... When a board is only being held to the sand paper belts by ONE roller, BAD THINGS can happen... Even doing a Cut Path... See my Pictures....

SO I recommend you stop doing Edge Routing and do it on a Router Table. Use the machine for it's STRONG POINTS as in Carving a Pattern or Cutting Text.

Now for the 7 inch rule of wood... Since the cutting bit is 3.5 inches from the bit to each roller we have 7 inches....

If you have not, this would be a good time to read the Tips and Tricks and get to know your machine better. Many tips solving the common "Pilot Errors" are written about in great detail with pictures. EVERY Error and problem you WILL encounter have been seen before... Most is just Pilot Error.... Trying to FLY a Airplane without knowing all the details.... and Crashing... Smoke in the Shop is Crashing....

I listen to my Machine often from my Laser Shop next door as it works on a Wireless intercom. I also have a SMOKE DETECTOR above my machine.... Something that would have helped you.... Intercom and Smoke Detector.... It is "Officially" Recommended that you NOT leave your machine UN ATTENDED and Runnng..... 1. FIRE HAZARD, 2. KIDS.... Last summer a member returned home to find the Fire Department just leaving after his Out Building and Shop had burned almost to the Ground as He left the machine running on a long project.

So back to the 7 inch rule of wood.... It is Highly Recommended that you design projects that can be made and also STAY under the Rollers. Tips and Tricks will have a bunch of stuff when you install that same 10.5 inch board in your machine and then select to stay under the roller and the resulting project is 3.5 inches long.... As the machine TOOK the 7 inches from your board to STAY under the Rollers... It's Called SCALING and the machine will ASK YOU.... Would you like to SCALE THIS PROJECT since you inserted a 10.5 inch board for a 10 inch project and STILL want me to stay under the rollers... OK... Here is a 3.5 inch project....

I design my Projects with a 4 inch DEAD AREA on the Right Side of Designer. I use 4 inches rather than 3.5 as I don't like the board tittering on the tip of the roller. I also leave the board LONG and also select to NOT Stay under the Rollers as I put the DEAD AREA into the project to Artificially Stay under the Rollers... I ALSO use Place on END or Corner if the board is wider rather than CENTER on Board as the machine measures the board TWICE for Centering. Once with Place on END.... Saving Wear and Tear on the machine.

OK... Off to a Good Start.... And Normally the machine selects the Bits in REVERSE order when it asks for the bits the first time. Ending with the FIRST bit to do Cutting. And Yes, don't change the bit selection at the Keypad.

Good Luck... Homework... Study Tips and Tricks.... Quiz on Monday Morning...


For FrugAL use of Wood, you could TAPE 2 FOUR inch Board Blanks on the ends of your 10.5 inch blank and that would keep BOTH ends of the board under a ROLLER at all times. See how I did the Clock, using the Block on one end then FLIPPING the board and doing ANOTHER clock on the other side of the blank... This would make a Actual Board of 18.5 inches long for a 10 inch long project. IT would carve NICE IF you got the position correct using place on end or centering. With the BLOCKS you COULD NOT do the Edge Routing.

Also See the Results of the Brass Roller loosing contact with the Board in a 4 pass Cut Path....

AL

[bluecobra]

...

For FrugAL use of Wood, you could TAPE 2 FOUR inch Board Blanks on the ends of your 10.5 inch blank and that would keep BOTH ends of the board under a ROLLER at all times. See how I did the Clock, using the Block on one end then FLIPPING the board and doing ANOTHER clock on the other side of the blank... This would make a Actual Board of 18.5 inches long for a 10 inch long project. IT would carve NICE IF you got the position correct using place on end or centering. With the BLOCKS you COULD NOT do the Edge Routing.
...
AL

Thanks for the tips Al. Is there any reason why you choose to tape a block to only one end per carve instead of just taping both ends at once? Just wondering if I'm missing something here that would benefit me & others.

[Digitalwoodshop]

I usually leave the board LONG and only tape on one end. I then cut the project off the long board. With the Wine Clocks, I cut one at a time using the already cut area for the 2nd clock to stay under the rollers.

With projects like the wood handles I make, I usually just waste a 4 inch block of clear pine with a plan to cut out a bear or deer from it later on a jig sled.

For thicker clock blanks I use a sheet of thin plywood to hold the boards together and did but blanks actual size.

As you can see by the dates, most was in 2007 and 2008. I put Hundreds of hours on my machines then... Much slower now...

AL